The Changing Realm of Latin Jazz

Latin jazz - When a lot of people think about Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party one thinks of, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is really looking after with this style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people around the oasis for years with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, however a growing variety of artists have abandoned the party area for different cultural and artistic influences. Today, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from your broader spectrum from the Caribbean and South America, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Trumpet - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played a big part in the expansion of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles such as the festejo and landó into the style too a far more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has evolved an exceptional approach together with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it's only been that artists have convey a distinct emphasis upon the concept of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez has utilized his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs like a foundation for jazz.

Argentina has long been noted for it's passionate tango, and several musicians have discovered that music is a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has generated a unique language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler has continued the work of influential composer Astor Piazzolla having a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often look at the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim when they consider the combination of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, but the style is continuing to grow into something far more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has generated upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and designed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the liberty behind a New York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Chris Botti - The dance floor is certainly still a part of Latin Jazz - just hear the music of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo to get a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting a more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and giving listeners a far more diverse experience.